German Published Patent Application No. 10 2004 058 809 describes a handheld power tool designed as a cordless screwdriver, which has an electric drive motor which drives a tool receptacle via a multistage planet gear, the tool receptacle being designed to receive a tool. The handheld power tool is equipped with a torque limiter which assumes the function of the torque clutch to interrupt the flow of force between the motor output and the tool receptacle in the event that the transmitted torque exceeds the set value. The torque limiter includes spring elements which apply force to an annulus wheel of the planet gear and secure the annulus wheel fixedly to a housing during normal operation in which a torque is transmitted to the tool carrier. When the torque on the tool carrier reaches the set maximum torque, the rotationally fixed connection between the annulus wheel and the housing is interrupted and thus also the transmission of torque to the tool carrier.
Planet gears such as the one illustrated in German Published Patent Application No. 10 2004 058 809 may usually be switched between two gear stages having a slow rotational speed and a high torque or having a higher rotational speed and a lower torque. In selecting the gear, a slide switch manually adjusts an annulus wheel between a latched position having a housing latching component and an unlatched position, the latched position and the unlatched position each corresponding to one gear stage.